Want to Make a Fabulous, Quick Quilt? Use the Batting Buddy Templates to Quilt As You Go

Posted by equilterscorner on Monday, January 13th, 2014

At Quilters Corner, we love neat gadgets that make quilting easier and simpler because it makes sewing even more fun! With this in mind, we have become fans of the Batting Buddy Templates, a two piece acrylic template that works with any of the Fun & Done Quilting Patterns from Prairie Sky Quilting, such as the Easy Diamonds Quilt, Criss-Cross Quilt or Jazzy Jewels Quilt. These patterns use a piecing method that allows you to complete the quilting as you assemble each block, so then all you have to do is sew the blocks together and you are done! You will be amazed at how quickly you will sew an entire quilt with this gadget and the quilt-as-you-go method. See how easy it is with the step-by-step tutorial we developed using the Batting Buddy Templates, Easy Diamonds Quilt Pattern and Easy Diamonds Quilt Kit below.

Step 1: This photo shows the cut fabric pieces used to make each quilt block for the Easy Diamonds Quilt. You use the Batting Buddy’s larger template to cut the background fabric squares and the smaller template to cut the batting squares, then cut the fabric pieces for the quilt top in accordance with the pattern’s instructions. The triangle template shown is a placement guide to help with piecing.

Step 2: Place a square of background fabric wrong side up on the table, then place the larger piece of the Batting Buddy template on top of the fabric, lining up the edges. This background square is both the sashing and back of your quilt. Center one of the batting squares you’ve cut inside the outer frame created by the Batting Buddy.

Step 3: Use the triangle template as a placement guide for the first strip of fabric used in your quilt block and lay that fabric right side up next to the inner edge of the triangle template, then pin the fabric in place and remove the template.

Step 4: Place the second strip of fabric directly on top of the first piece, right sides together. Making sure that you begin and end your stitching at the edges of the batting square, sew a ¼” seam along the raw edge of the layered fabric pieces, so you are sewing through both pieces of fabric, your batting and your background fabric all at once. It is important that you tie off your stitches at the beginning and ending of each stitching line and do not sew beyond the batting onto the single layer of background fabric.

Step 5: Open the sewn fabric strips and press the seam.

Step 6: Lay the next strip of fabric directly on top of the first piece, right sides together and sew a ¼” seam along the raw edge of the layered fabric pieces, as you did in Step 4, then open the sewn fabric strips and press.

Step #7: Repeat this process with the additional strips, adding them to the strips you have already sewn until you have covered your batting square with all of the fabric strips you cut for the quilt block. Our photo below shows all pieces sewn on and pressed.

Step #8: Now it is time to clean up the raw edges of your pieced block. Flip the block over and fold the background fabric out of the way so you don’t accidentally cut it. Line up the smaller Batting Buddy template piece with the edge of your batting and trim away the excess fabric from the top of your quilted block pieces so the edges of the quilt block fabrics are even with the batting.

After you’ve trimmed your block and flipped it back over so the right side faces up, this is what it should look like, with all sides trimmed evenly and the background fabric showing as a frame around all four edges. Repeat steps 2 through 8 for each quilt block.

Step #9: Select two blocks and align the background fabric on the blocks, with right sides together. Sew a seam along the batting edge joining the two squares’ background fabric together (this is the green fabric in our photo).

Step #10: Press the seam open, tuck the raw edge of your background fabric under to the seam line you just stitched, then press in place and topstitch the background fabric down for each square.

This step creates the sashing between your quilt blocks. Here is a close up photo of the topstitched sashing between two blocks.

Step #11: Repeat steps 9 & 10 to sew squares together in rows and then use the same technique to join your rows together. Before sewing your rows together, make sure that you match the seams between rows and pin the rows in place to avoid shifting as you sew. Here is a photo of two joined rows.

Step #12: Make your binding by folding the outer edge of your background fabric over twice toward the quilt top, then topstitching it down and mitering your corners as you sew.

You are finished! Flip your quilt over and see how it was magically quilted as you pieced. Enjoy your quick, easy and beautiful quilt.